"Alas…"
Klein sat on a chair in the reception room, his left hand wearily rubbing his Sun.
He fixed his gaze on the freshly developed photos—a well-dressed middle-aged man was embracing a young lady by the waist, their relationship intimate.
He had just completed a commission… a richly dressed lady suspected her husband of having an affair and hired him to investigate.
As expected, the lady's husband was indeed intimately involved with a young lady in a high-end restaurant, and Klein even took photos of them kissing.
"Another straightforward infidelity case," he sighed inwardly, tidied the photos, and put them into a kraft paper envelope.
"Once suspicion begins, the outcome is no longer important."
Recently, the Truth Union had been giving him similar commissions. Although jobs like catching adulterers paid well, it was quite different from the detective work he had imagined…
"Well… in reality, there aren't that many cases. The most common work for a detective is probably catching affairs and finding people," Klein lamented.
Just then, there was a gentle knock on the reception room Door.
"Come in."
Klein quickly adjusted his expression using his Clown ability, making himself appear both professional and slightly sympathetic.
The Door opened, and a lady wearing a dark blue long dress and a veil walked in.
"Mr. Moriarty…" Her voice trembled slightly, "Did you… find the evidence?"
"Mm…"
Klein nodded slightly, motioned for her to sit down, and then pushed the envelope towards her: "Madam, I think you should see for yourself."
The client lady tremblingly took the photos. The moment she tore open the envelope, she clenched her hands.
Her voice choked, "I… I should have known…" Her shoulders shook violently, and large tears splattered onto the photos.
"Ten years… we've been married for ten years…" She covered her face, her voice somewhat broken, "How could he do this to me?"
Klein felt a headache. He was least skilled at dealing with distraught clients.
"Madam, I am very sorry," he offered a handkerchief, "but at least you now know the truth and can make your own choice."
"Choice?" She suddenly looked up, her eyes bloodshot, "What choice do I have?! Divorce? Let everyone laugh at me? Or pretend I know nothing and continue to endure!"
"He made me suffer so much, I won't let him off easy either!"
"Detective Moriarty, how much money do you need?" She grabbed Klein's wrist.
"What?" Klein was a bit confused; he only sold his skills, not himself.
"How much to help me deal with my husband and that slut?" The client lady revealed a sinister expression.
"Is 300 su le enough?"
"Ah… this isn't about money." Klein quickly pulled his hand free.
"500 su le!" The client lady stated another figure.
This! Alas…
Hearing this, Klein felt a surge of helplessness, "Madam, I am a detective, not a killer."
"Is there a difference?"
Klein: "…"
For the next half an hour, to prevent her from taking extreme measures, Klein was forced to act as half a Psychiatrist and half a Listener, listening to her list of her husband's faults.
From "he even forgot our wedding anniversary" to "he never cared about the child," and then to "I should have noticed he was acting strangely long ago."
By the time she finally vented her emotions, wiped away her tears, paid the remaining balance, and left, Klein felt a sense of relief from within.
"One su le." Klein looked at the banknote in his hand, and the gloom in his heart dissipated somewhat.
This was the tip the client gave him before leaving.
He did not decline, as although such commissions were simple, dealing with the client's emotions was often more exhausting.
"Tips are all mine, no need to hand them in…"
After closing the Door, Klein leaned back in his chair, beginning to ponder whether his decision to join the Truth Union was truly worth it.
"Commissions have certainly increased, but they are all trivial matters…"
Catching affairs, finding cats, investigating neighbor noise… While these commissions provided stable income, they offered little help towards his true goal—finding clues about Ince Zangwill.
"Ultimately, I haven't truly integrated into this circle yet. The information I can access is still too limited."
"Forget it, at least the income is stable," Klein consoled himself.
Just then, his stomach rumbled in protest.
He looked up at the clock on the wall; it was almost eleven… lunchtime had arrived.
The Truth Union's cafeteria today served Feinepot stewed noodles with fried sausages.
Klein sat down with his tray, forked a mouthful of noodles, and found the taste surprisingly good.
"Free lunch is indeed the biggest perk…" Enjoying the free meal, his mood improved slightly.
After eating, he hesitated for a moment, looked left and right, then shamelessly walked to the counter. He took out a meal box and said to the cafeteria staff:
"Uh, could you pack one for me? I'll be out on an assignment later." With his Clown ability, Klein could lie without batting an eye.
The staff member serving the food narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing him, his gaze full of suspicion: "Out on an assignment?"
Klein remained expressionless: "Yes, an urgent commission."
The staff member pursed his lips but still packed a portion for him.
Klein accepted it without changing his expression.
He walked towards the Truth Union's main Door with the packed box, contemplating whether to do another divination tonight.
"At least… I won't have to pay for dinner tonight."
Just as Klein was about to leave, someone called out to him from behind.
"Sherlock, the Director is looking for you."
…
Truth Union's third floor, Charles's office.
"How have you been feeling lately?" Charles put down the newspaper in his hand, his gaze behind his gold-rimmed glasses meaningful.
"Not bad, the income is very stable." Klein hesitated for a few seconds, "It's just that the tasks are a bit…"
"Too simple?" Charles finished his sentence for him.
"I'm not complaining…" Klein was about to explain, but Charles had already raised a hand to signal.
"I understand your thoughts,"
"But there's nothing that can be done. Although your abilities are strong, you are a newcomer after all, and you can't immediately take on high-value commissions."
"There always needs to be time for accumulation."
Hearing this, Klein nodded in understanding.
"But…"
Charles waved his hand, a shrewd glint in his eyes.
"I have a special task here, would you like to try it?"
"If you complete it successfully, you'll be considered officially initiated, and then you can take on some high-difficulty commissions."
"Special?" Klein chewed on the word.
"Someone owes us money, and he has disappeared. I need you to find him and bring him back, along with the money."
Klein looked up and asked, "Debt collection? Does the Truth Union also engage in lending?"
"We have partnerships with several banks." Charles pushed up his glasses. Seeing Klein's interest, he continued: "That person owes us over a thousand su le."
"The money isn't much, but the nature is egregious."
"He has sufficient assets but deliberately delays payment and plays disappearing tricks."
"This is a provocation to us."
So that's it, no wonder he's so angry… Klein mused, "Wouldn't it be more suitable to assign this to a Hunter?"
"Those people act too ostentatiously." Charles pushed up his glasses, "This matter concerns the Truth Union's reputation and needs to be handled discreetly."
That's true; openly owing the Truth Union money clearly shows a disregard for the Truth Union, which would indeed affect its reputation.
"This mission offers generous compensation, and by rights, it should go to those veteran detectives."
"But your efficiency has impressed me, so I believe you are the best candidate for this mission." Charles had an expression of "I highly appreciate you."
'Uh… using divination to find clues is indeed very convenient.'
Klein couldn't discern the other party's true intentions, but asking him to collect debts was just too… He was a detective, not a thug.
Moreover, he had once been a Nighthawks. Asking him to do debt collection, which was a job for gangsters, really didn't suit his style.
"I…" Klein hesitated, searching for words to refuse.
Seemingly sensing Klein's reluctance, Charles stated his price:
"If you successfully recover the money, I'll give you twenty percent."
This…
Klein swallowed his refusal.
"Okay, I'll take it."